In the past three NFL drafts, the SEC has had 52 players selected within the top three rounds. In the 2008 NFL draft, the SEC had six first-round choices, two second-round selections and eight third-round choices.

With the 2008 college football season steadily approaching, here is my take on the top 12 seniors in the SEC who should go high in the 2009 NFL draft.

1. Michael Oher, offensive tackle, Mississippi. Oher made the smart choice to return to Ole Miss for his senior season. He has the size (6-feet 5-inches, 315 pounds), athletic skills and quick feet to excel at left tackle, and he could well end up being a top-10 choice next April.

2. Tyson Jackson, defensive end, LSU. Jackson had a very disappointing junior campaign after making quite a defensive splash as a sophomore.

He gained more attention for his lackadaisical play and his penchant for getting crucial penalties than pressing the quarterback in 2007. If Jackson returns to his 2006 form and gains a few counter pass-rush moves, he could again be looked at as a first-round selection. He has the body and athletic skills the pros crave in a defensive end.

3. Darry Beckwith, middle linebacker, LSU. Beckwith made a strong impression on everyone due to his play late in the 2006 season. Last season, he had troubles with his knee, that was operated on and he is back to full strength in 2008. A healthy Beckwith is quite a defensive force in the middle and he has great speed and range out on the field.

4. Demetrius Byrd, wide receiver, LSU. Byrd got off to a slow start after transferring to LSU from Pearl River Community College, but he became a red-hot receiver late in the season.

The speedy 6-2, 195-pound end caught 35 passes and averaged 17.7 yards per catch as a junior. Byrd could be the top rated senior wide receiver in the country by the end of the season.

5. Jeff Owens, defensive tackle, Georgia. Owens is a very disruptive presence in the middle and he may well end up joining a long list of Bulldog defensive linemen to get selected in the first round.

The hard-charging Volunteer rushed for 1,193 yards as a junior and he is only 685 yards from being the all-time leading rusher in Tennessee history. Foster is also a good receiver coming out of the backfield.

7. Herman Johnson, offensive guard, LSU. At 6-7 and 350 pounds, Johnson is hard to miss out on the field. The massive offensive guard is a dominating run blocker, and he has really upgraded his pass-blocking skills and balance since losing about 40 pounds.

8. Derek Pegues, free safety, Mississippi State. This young man is a playmaker no matter where the Bulldogs play him. Pegues has excelled at both cornerback and safety, and he is a crackerjack punt- and kickoff-return specialist. The former South Panola (Miss.) High School star may get downgraded by the pros a bit due to his size, 5-9 ¾, 195 pounds, but he is an impact performer on defense and special teams.

9. Peria Jerry, defensive tackle, Ole Miss. Keep a close eye on this young man because he looks as though he is on the verge of a breakout campaign in 2008. Jerry, a 6-2, 290-pound inside force, racked up 58 tackles and 14 tackles for losses as a junior. New Rebels head coach Houston Nutt raved about Peria in the spring.

10. Cornelius Ingram, tight end, Florida. Ingram, a former quarterback, has developed into one of the elite pass-catching tight ends in college football. Ingram is a huge target for quarterback Tim Tebow to find downfield, and he is a top-flight running threat after the reception.

12. Demonte Boldin, defensive tackle, Tennessee. Boldin is my sleeper selection in 2008. He has great size (6-5, 290, pounds) and he flashes big-time skills as an enforcer and disrupter in the middle, but he needs to play with more consistency. Boldin has outstanding physical skills, but he must come to play with more intensity to be a top draft choice in 2009.

ALL EYES ON LAWRENCE

The McNeese State Cowboys are the gold standard for other teams to match football wise in the Southland Conference.

The Cowboys have won back-to-back Southland Conference championships, and they posted an 11-0 record before being knocked out of the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs by Eastern Washington, 44-14, last November.

In 2007, the two most dominant senior defensive players in the conference were Cowboys defensive end Bryan Smith, whom the Philadelphia Eagles selected in the third round of the 2008 draft, and Nicholls State safety Kareem Moore, whom the Washington Redskins selected in the sixth round.

In 2008, the two players who are expected to be the most watched by NFL scouts are Nicholls State safety/return specialists Lardarius Webb and McNeese State wide receiver Quinten Lawrence.

Lawrence, a standout track athlete, basketball performer and football player from Carencro High School, has drawn NFL scouts to the Lake Charles campus.

Broderick Fobbs, the co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach for the Cowboys, said that Lawrence has been clocked at 10.29 seconds in the 100-meter dash, and has made great strides on upgrading the finer points of playing wide receiver at the college level.

“There is no questioning that Quinten has a chance to develop into an outstanding player for us as a senior,” Fobbs said. “He has great speed, tremendous initial quickness off the line of scrimmage and the ability to pull away from defenders. He also has really upgraded his overall route-running skills, but it is his concentration and his focus on doing things the right way on the mental side that has really stuck out to me in the spring. He has upgraded the finer points of playing the wide receiver position. If he continues to work on getting better on the mental part of the game, Quinten will really improve our football team and he has the God-given ability to take his game to the next level.”

Fobbs, who was a running back at Grambling and had coaching stints at UL-Lafayette, Northwestern State and in the Arena Football League before landing at McNeese State, said that Lawrence is an elite athlete.

“I have had the honor of being around some really good football players and athletes and Quinten is one of the very best I’ve been around,” Fobbs said. “He is not just a track athlete playing football, but he is a very good football player who is also a tremendous track athlete. Lawrence has good size for a receiver and when he gets the ball in his hands he is a dangerous and explosive open-field runner. He just has to keep working at his trade.”

Lawrence, who caught 31 passes for 645 yards, averaged 20.8 yards per catch and scored six touchdowns in 2007, is also working hard to upgrade his overall strength in the weight room.

“Years ago it was just the linemen who really hit the weight room hard, but now it is everyone,“ Fobbs said. ”Quinten has worked hard in the weight room to get stronger and it enhances his downfield blocking skills and his ability to get off the line of scrimmage cleaner. Defensive backs will get up on a wide receiver and try and throw him off his route. Quinten has worked hard to improve his overall strength, use his hands better to beat the hard jam and get that deep separation ability we want for our offense.”

Over the past two seasons, small college wide receivers like Jerome Simpson from Coastal Carolina (Cincinnati Bengals), Dexter Jackson from Appalachian State (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Jacoby Jones from Lane College in Tennessee (Houston Texans) and Laurent Robinson from Illinois State (Atlanta Falcons) have been selected within the top 75 players in each respective draft. However, Fobbs said that Lawrence’s total focus should be on being productive out on the field.

“You can’t worry about the NFL. You have to just keep doing what got you this far and improving your overall game,” Fobbs said. “We had the usual number of scouts visit us in the spring, but if Quinten continues to upgrade his game they will show up in the fall like they did last season for Bryan (Smith). Bryan did his talking out on the field last season and the NFL was here to watch.”

Despite racking up 431 yards and 35 points per game on offense last season, Fobbs said that he thinks the Cowboys’ offense could be even better this season.

McNeese State returns experienced junior quarterback Derrick Fourroux and senior wide receiver Steven Whitehead to the lineup after the NCAA gave him a medical redshirt season. Whitehead, the Player of the Year in the Southland Conference in 2006 when he caught 48 passes for 609 yards and three touchdowns, and averaged 16.8 yards on punt returns and 26.7 yards on kickoff returns, missed 10 games in 2007 due to a bone bruise on his knee.

“What is really encouraging is the fact that quarterback Derrick Fourroux is entering his junior season and he has seen extensive starting time for us over the past two seasons,” Fobbs said. “Derrick understands our offensive attack very well and he brings a strong combination of running and passing skills to the table. We also have wide receiver Steven Whitehead back for another season. Steven is a big-time playmaker and he upgrades our wide receiver unit, and along with Quinten can really bolster our return game. The tools are there and Tim Leger (the Cowboys co-offensive coordinator) and I are working hard to get the very best out of the talent on hand. It’s strange for me because as a former running back I wanted to run the ball most of the time as a player, and now that I am coaching wide receivers I want to throw the ball most of the time. We really want a 50-50 balance to run and pass the ball.

“If you become one dimensional you get beat. Just look at the better teams in college and pro football and they are the most balanced teams.”Keep an eye this season on the Cowboys.

They are indeed the team to beat in the Southland Conference and they also have one of the top small-college prospects for the 2009 draft in Lawrence.

NFL analysts Mike Detillier is located in Raceland.

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